Tag Archives: The Villages Estate Planning Attorney
Estate and Tax Planning Basics Part 2 – GSTT
If you are thinking about planning your estate, there are tax considerations that you need to know about. In a previous article, we looked at estate and gift tax and capital gains tax planning. This article will cover the Generation Skipping Transfer Tax (GSTT). A skilled tax planning attorney can help you understand how… Read More »
Estate and Tax Planning Basics Part 1
Planning your estate involves thinking about taxes. Skillful tax planning can help you to avoid and minimize some of these taxes. This article gives an overview of two of the common kinds of taxes you may need to be aware of when planning your estate. Estate and Gift Tax When people think about tax… Read More »
How To Avoid Probate in Florida
In a previous blog post, we discussed what probate is and a brief overview of the probate process. Whether you are planning your own estate or are the executor – or “personal representative” as it is called in Florida – of a loved one’s estate, most people want to minimize the assets that pass… Read More »
Florida Estate Planning Basics: Probate
Probate is a very important concept in estate planning and elder law. Thinking about and planning around probate is one of the main things that estate planning can help with. Whether you are the executor of someone else’s will and need to understand probate from that perspective, or you are planning your own estate,… Read More »
Why Having an Estate Plan is Not Enough: The Top 3 Things You can do to Protect Yourself and Your Heirs
From Anna Nicole Smith to Archie Bunker, there have been dozens of high profile celebrity probate disputes in the past two decades. Many of these legal battles center around abuse, neglect, or poorly drafted legal instruments. Often, these cases also involve nontraditional family arrangements and late life marriages. When Anna Nicole, 26, married J…. Read More »
Medicare Changes May Lead More Seniors to Stay at Home
Nationwide, there is a growing movement among state legislatures to push for reforms aimed at keeping seniors out of nursing homes. This push comes from a lot of places. For some, concerns about abuse and neglect make people avoid admission as long as possible. Others simply feel dehumanized by being taken out of their… Read More »
What is Florida’s Medically Needy Program, and How Does it Work?
With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, many states have enacted laws expanding Medicaid coverage by offering insurance to more people than were previously eligible. However, not all states participate in Medicaid expansion. Florida remains one of several states that have opted out of expansion; therefore, it is very difficult for adults to… Read More »
Choosing the Right Florida Nursing Home: Five Things to Look For
Florida is one of America’s best retirement destinations and is home to wonderful attractions, tropical weather, and world-class healthcare. Likewise, many older adults are finding that Florida also offers some of the finest long-term care facilities in the country. When discussing a retirement and estate plan with your Florida elder law attorney, one important… Read More »
Florida Universities Lead the Way in Dementia Research
Where can you go for great weather, year-round golfing, beautiful night skies, fishing, boating, no state taxes, a low cost-of-living, and the best seafood in the country? For seniors looking to retire in Florida, there is one more perk to add to this list: dementia care research. Since the late 1990s, American researchers have… Read More »
What Happens if I Don’t Have a Will?
Lawyers often lament that so many seniors are resistant to discussing their estate plans. No one wants to talk about dying; it makes us face our mortality and ultimate fears like: Will I suffer? Will I be cared for? Will I be stuck in a nursing home? Will I be remembered? Will my children… Read More »